If you plan to pass another vehicle, you should:
- Not assume the other driver will make space for you to return to your lane. ✓
- Assume the other driver will let you pass if you use your turn signal.
- Assume the other driver will maintain a constant speed.
Answer: A. Not assume the other driver will make space for you to return to your lane.
When you plan to pass another vehicle, do not assume the other driver will make room for you to come back into your lane.
Why this is the answer
The manual's passing steps put the responsibility on you, not on the driver you are passing. Before you return to the right lane you must signal, check your interior mirror, confirm you can see the front bumper of the vehicle you passed, and glance over your right shoulder to check there is pavement between you and that vehicle. Nothing in the manual says the other driver will slow down, speed up, or open a gap, so the safe habit is to verify the space yourself before moving back over.
Why the other answers are wrong
- B. Assume the other driver will let you pass if you use your turn signal. — A turn signal only announces what you intend to do; the manual never says another driver will yield or make room just because you signaled.
- C. Assume the other driver will maintain a constant speed. — The manual actually warns the opposite for large vehicles: one can lose speed on a grade or gain speed on a downgrade, so a steady speed is not something you can count on.
Remember it
Before you slide back over, see the front bumper of the car you passed in your mirror, then glance over your right shoulder. If you have to guess about the gap, you don't have it yet.